We mere mortals will never really know what happens when two internationally revered celebrities get together away from prying eyes. But when they are on a talk show that is forever looking for ways to differentiate itself from other entertainment options, the answer is clear: they will do anything for a laugh.
To that end, Daniel Radcliffe, who hit The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote his forthcoming action-comedy The Lost City, said “yes” when producers asked if he would hook himself up to an elaborate contraption that pours ice water down a hose. Directly at his crotch.
To be fair, host Jimmy Fallon did it, too, and the pair proceeded to play a dopey trivia game. If you got the question wrong, The Roots’s Black Thought, dressed as a hybrid of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze and one of Santa’s helpers, would pour the punishing liquid while the band then played the riff from Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” (Which, of course, is the lick from Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” with an added downbeat.)
Now, showbiz is all about misdirection, so it’s entirely possible that the water only looked cold, thanks to some blue lighting. Or maybe the water was genuinely icy but didn’t actually go into the tubes, and some stage workers pumped warm water into Mr. Radcliffe and Mr. Fallon’s MC Hammer-esque pants. There are some things we’re never meant to know! Nevertheless, the two performers certainly behaved as if a cascade of harsh, near-freezing liquid suddenly infiltrated their gonads before a live studio audience.
You can watch for yourself.
If case you were wondering, Fallon has messed around with ice water before, playing “Frozen Blackjack” with Chris Evans and Michael Fassbender back in 2016.
In addition to this absurdity, Radcliffe hit Fallon’s couch to talk up his next role, playing “Weird Al” Yankovic in a biopic. (Heads-up to classic comedy heads, Radcliffe name-dropped songwriter-humorist Tom Lehrer, the 93-year-old behind novelty hits such as “The Elements,” “Wernher von Braun,” and “The Vatican Rag.”)
Radcliffe also put to bed rumors that he is considering playing the role of Wolverine, despite the fact that the more he denies this, the more the chatter increases. Fallon, for his part, only fanned the flames. Then Radcliffe told some funny stories about being mistaken for Elijah Wood.
In The Lost City, which is out next Friday, Radcliffe plays an evil, obsessive zillionaire, who kidnaps Sandra Bullock in an attempt to find a mythical treasure on a faraway island. (Both he and the movie in general are very entertaining.) The actor confessed to Fallon that it took him a good long while before he felt comfortable enough to call his co-star Sandy. “I’m not there yet!” the host replied.
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